Matt King selected on a wing for
Tri-Nations opener

Melbourne Storm star Matt King has today been named by Kangaroos coach Wayne Bennett in the starting line-up for this Saturday?s opening Tri-Nations clash against New Zealand at Telstra Stadium in Sydney.

Although King plies his trade in the centres for the Storm, he made such an impact for New South Wales on a wing in the 2005 State-of-Origin Series he has been selected to play there for Australia.

During the 2005 State-of-Origin series, King was a stand-out player in a star-studded line-up. He capped off a wonderful series by scoring a hat-trick of tries in Game III to lead the Blues to a series clinching 32 - 10 win over Queensland at Suncorp Stadium.

Blues coach Ricky Stuart had no hesitation in awarding King the inaugural Brad Fittler Medal, awarded to the player who contributed most to the New South Wales' series win.

It?s been said a thousand times already, but King?s amazing journey from garbage collector and barman keeps getting bigger and better.

?It caps off an amazing year with State-of-Origin and winning the Brad Fittler Medal and now being picked for Australia tops it all,? said King.

?It?s been a fairytale ride where I couldn?t get a run for Cronulla reserves, to going up to Brisbane Norths and the Storm giving me the chance of a life time.?

Lining up on the same wing, but in opposition colours could well be Storm teammate Jake Webster, whose own rise to international representative football has been nothing short of miraculous.

It could be an interesting battle between to of the most laid back, easy going characters in the NRL.

?We?re great mates, but once we cross the white line we?ll both be doing our best for our countries,? said King.

?But I might give him a whack in the ribs at some stage, just to let him know I?m there?.

The Kangaroos team to take on the Kiwis is:

Anthony Minichiello, Timana Tahu, Brent Tate, Mark Gasnier, Matt King, Darren Lockyer (c), Andrew Johns, Ben Kennedy, Craig Fitzgibbon, Luke O?Donnell, Steve Price, Danny Buderus, Petero Civoniceva, Jason Ryles, Andrew Ryan, Trent Waterhouse, Craig Gower

More info: www.tri-nations.com.au Discussion: Tri-Nations Forum at http://forums.leagueunlimited.com/forumdisplay.php?f=130